Collapsible umbrella



March 2, 1965 s. MEYER COLLAPSIBLE UMBRELLA Filed March 26, 1963 m m E Vm S/EGFR/ED 7"/ER ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,171,418 COLLAPSIBLEUMBRELLA Siegfried Meyer, 250 W. 91st St., New York, NY. Filed Mar. 26,1963, Ser. No. 267,999 Claims. (Cl. 135-26) This invention relates ingeneral to umbrellas, parasols and the like, and in particular toumbrellas, parasols and the like, which are adapted to be collapsed whenclosed to a substantially reduced length.

When certain collapsible umbrellas, which have been known heretofore,are collapsed to reduced length, the umbrella material, serving as thecanopy, cover, shade, screen etc. bunches together forming a bulky masson the outside of the umbrella rod or staff. This bulky mass of materialis then usually stuffed, with difliculty, into an umbrella case orcovering.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide animproved collapsible umbrella in which the umbrella material does notbunch together on the outside of the umbrella rod or staff when it iscollapsed and which may be used without an umbrella covering or casewhen it is collapsed.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a collapsibleumbrella, in which there is substantially no excess material present onthe outside of the umbrella rod or staff when it is collapsed, and whichresembles in its outward appearance an ordinary closed folding umbrellaof reduced length.

These and other objects are accomplished by the present invention inwhich the excess material which would be present on the outside of theumbrella rod or staff when the umbrella is collapsed, is drawn withinthe umbrella rod or staff. In my copending patent application Serial No.232,758, filed on October 24, 1962, there is described a collapsibleumbrella comprising: a central rod having an upper and lower tubular rodsection, said upper rod section being adapted to slide telescopicallyinto said lower rod section, a collapsible rib structure pivotallyattached to the upper end of said upper rod section, an umbrella canopysupported by said collapsible rib structure, and a pulling means locatedwithin said upper rod section and attached to the central portion ofsaid umbrella canopy, said pulling means being adapted to pull a portionof the umbrella canopy within said upper rod section when said ribstructure is collapsed. I have found that said pulling means may veryadvantageously comprise a string located within said upper rod sectionand attached at one end to the central portion of said umbrella canopyand at the other end to the upper portion of said lower rod section.

An illustrative embodiment of this invention is shown in theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the umbrella structureof the present invention in its open condition;

FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the umbrella structureof the present invention in its collapsed condition;

FIGURE 3 is an elevational view with parts broken away of the uppertubular rod section of the umbrella of this invention;

FIGURE 4 is a transverse sectional view taken along the line 44 ofFIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 5 is a transverse section taken along the line 55 of FIGURE 2.

With reference to the drawings, a collapsible central rod or staffhaving upper and lower tubular rod sections and 16 is so arranged thatthe upper rod section 15 slides telescopically into the lower rodsection 16.

Affixed to the upper end portion of said upper rod "ice section is acrown member 17 to which are pivotally attached the inner extremities ofradiating collapsible rib structures for supporting the umbrella coveror canopy 18. Each such rib structure comprises an inner hollow member19 and an outer solid member 20. These rib members are adapted to betelescoped and are guided toward each other by a sleeve 21 sliding onthe hollow rib member 19 and attached to the inner end of the solid ribmember 20. The rib braces 22 are hinged on one side to the inner ends ofthe outer rib members 20, and on the other side to the runner 23, whichis adapted to slide longitudinally upon the central rod or staff.

The upper rod section 15 is provided with a depressible stop spring 24to engage and hold .the runner 23 in its upwardly moved rib structurespreading position, when the umbrella is arranged in its open or serviceposition. The upper rod section 15 is also provided near its lower endportion, with a depressible projection 25, which fits into a suitablylocated opening 26 in the upper portion of the lower rod section 16 andserves to lock the upper and lower rod sections together and limitfurther movement when the upper rod section is moved out of the lowerrod section to the position of maximum umbrella length. Afiixed to thefree or lower extremity of the lower rod section 16 is a handle memberor knob 27 of any desired ornamental shape.

The upper tubular rod section 15 has an indentation or groove 28 runningalong the length of its outer wall. The rod or axle number 29 isattached to the lower portion of the upper tubular rod section 15 andhas revolving around it or attached to it the wheel-like member 30,which is preferably grooved to receive and guide the string 31. Thestring 31 is attached at one end, as at 32, to the upper portion of thelower tubular rod section 16 and at the other end to the eyelet 33 whichis in turn attached to the central portion of the umbrella canopy orcover 18.

Upon collapsing the umbrella, the telescoping of the upper tubular rodsection 15 into the lower tubular rod section 16 causes the string toslide over the wheel-like member 30 from the inside of the upper tubularrod section and toward the outside of the upper tubular rod section 15along its groove 28, thereby pulling the excess umbrella material,caused by the collapsing or telescoping of the rib structure, into theupper tubular rod section 15. When the umbrella is opened, the uppertubular rod section 15 slides out of the lower tubular rod section 16and the string 31 slides along the wheel-like member 30 toward theinside of the upper tubular rod section 15. The opening of the ribstructure also pulls the umbrella material out of the upper tubular rodsection 15.

Although I have described my invention with a certain degree ofparticularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has beenmade only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details ofconstruction and the combination and arrangement of parts may beresorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of theinvention as hereinafter claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. A collapsible umbrella comprising a central rod having an upper andlower tubular rod section, said upper rod section being adapted to slidetelescopically into said lower rod section, a collapsible rib structurepivotally attached to the upper end of said upper rod section, anumbrella canopy supported by said collapsible rib structure, pullingmeans located and longitudinally disposed within said upper rod sectionand attached at one end to the upper portion of said lower rod sectionand at the other end to the central portion of said umbrella canopy,whereby said pulling means pulls a portion of the umbrella canopy withinsaid upper rod section when said 3 1 upper rod section telescopes intosaid lower rod section and said ribstructure is collapsed.

2. A collapsible umbrella comprising a central rod having an upper and alower tubular rod section, said upperrod section 'being adapted to slidetelescopically into said lower rod section, a collapsible, rib structurepivotally attached to the upper end of said upper rod section, anumbrella canopy supported by said collapsible rib structure, an eyeletattached to the central portion of said umbrella canopy, a stringrunning from said eyelet tion and outof said upper rod section to theupper portionof said lower rod section, whereby said string pulls aportion of the umbrella canopy within said upper rod section when saidrib structure is collapsed and said upper rod section telescopes intosaid lower rod section. V 3. A collapsible umbrella comprising a centralrod having an upper and a lower tubular rod section, said upper rodsection being adapted to slide telescopically into said lower rodsection, a collapsible rib structure pivotally attached to the upper endof said upper rod section, an umbrella canopy supported by saidcollapsible rib structure, a string located within said upper rodsection and attached at one end to the upper portion of said lower rodsection and at the other end to the central portion of said umbrellacanopy, means attached to the;

lower portion of said upper rod section for guiding said string out ofand into said upper rod section, whereby said string pulls a portion ofthe umbrella canopy within said upper rod section when said upper rodsection telea scopes into said lower rod sectionand said rib structureupper rod section being adapted to slide telescopically 3 into saidlower rod section and having a longitudinal groove along its outersurface, a collapsible rib structure pivotally attached to the upperendlof said upper rod section, an umbrella canopy supported by saidcollapsible rib structure, a string located within said upper rodsection, having one end attachedto the central portion of said umbrellacanopy and the other end to the upper portion of said lower rod section,a wheel-like member mounted on the lower portion of said upper rodsection and adapted to guide. said string out of said upper rod sectionand into said groove on said upper rod section, whereby said stringpulls a portion of said umbrella canopy within said upper rod sectionwhen said upper rod section-telescopes into said lower rod section andsaid' rib structure is collapsed.

5. A collapsible umbrella comprising a central rod having an upper and alower tubular rod section, said upper rod section being adapted to slidetelescopically into said lower rod section and having a longitudinalgroove along its outer surface, a collapsible rib structure pivotallyattached to the upper end of said upper rod section, an umbrella canopysupported by said collapsible rib structure, a string located withinsaid upper rod section, having-one end attached to the central portionof said umbrella canopy and the other end to the upper portion of saidlower rod section, a Wheel-like member removably mounted on the lowerportion of said upper rod section and adapted to guide said string outof said upper rod section and into saidgroove on said upper rodsection,whereby said string pulls a portion of said umbrella canopy within saidupper rod section when said upper rodsection telescopes into said lowerrod section =and said rib structure is collapsed.

References Cited in the file :of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS SpiroNov. 14, 1931 2,784,726 Volker Mar. 12, 1957

1. A COLLAPSIBLE UMBRELLA COMPRISING A CENTRAL ROD HAVING AN UPPER ANDLOWER TUBULAR ROD SECTION, SAID UPPER ROD SECTION BEING ADAPTED TO SLIDETELESCOPICALLY INTO SAID LOWER ROD SECTION, A COLLAPSIBLE RIB STRUCTUREPIVOTALLY ATTACHED TO THE UPPER END OF SAID UPPER ROD SECTION, ANUMBRELLA CANOPY SUPPORTED BY SAID COLLAPSIBLE RIB STRUCTURE, PULLINGMEANS LOCATED AND LONGITUDINALLY DISPOSED WITHIN SAID UPPER ROD SECTIONAND ATTACHED AT ONE END TO THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID LOWER ROD SECTIONAND AT THE OTHER END TO THE CENTRAL PORTION OF SAID UMBRELLA CANOPY,WHEREBY SAID PULLING MEANS PULLS A PORTION OF THE UMBRELLA CANOPY WITHINSAID UPPER ROD SECTION WHEN SAID UPPER ROD SECTION TELESCOPES INTO SAIDLOWER ROD SECTION AND SAID RIB STRUCTURE IS COLLAPSED.